The Jedi Trial Series Book 12: The Curse
by SashaMonroe
Summary: While on a mission with Jac and Cayden, Sasha is attacked by a shadowy figure. Once they return to the temple, they learn that the shadow has given Sasha, the Shadows Curse! With no known cure, the healers race against time to find one before it's too late. While they do that, Sasha takes the next few weeks to live her life to the fullest and take one last look back...
1. The Shadow

_**What up guys! So Thanksgiving is in a week and Christmas is in a month and its cold outside so thought now would be the perfect time to post my new story! *cheering* Alright well let's get this party started before I have to disappear for a while for finals. **_

Chapter 1- The Shadow

"This sucks,' Jac complained as they walked through one of the forests on Malion. "Why do we always get the lame missions?"

"Would you rather go to Umbara like Master Obi-wan and Master Anakin?" Sasha commented as she adjusted the strap of the satchel she was carrying.

"Honestly, I would," Jac said. "It would be better than playing delivery boy."

"Hey I thought that was pretty dangerous going through an old temple that had several booby traps and was practically falling apart on top of us," Cayden said.

"Yeah only to get a stupid trinket that's about the size of thermal detonator," Jac groaned.

"Hey this thing weighs a ton," Sasha commented as she once again adjusted the strap.

"Here I'll take it for a while," Cayden offered.

Sasha smiled and handed him the satchel that had the trinket in it. Cayden slung it over his shoulder. She then stretched her shoulder.

"Come on it wasn't that heavy," Jac stated.

"That's coming from the guy that works out every single day and never skips arm day," Cayden said.

"Hey don't forget leg day too," Jac said.

Cayden face palmed. Sasha laughed.

"Is this what it's always like on missions with you two?" Sasha asked.

"When it's just the two of us? Yes," Cayden stated. "When more than one other person is with us? We are mellower, not by much, but just enough."

"That explains so much," Sasha said.

Cayden smiled and sent a wink her way causing her to blush. Jac didn't notice this. He was too busy leading the three of them out of the forest. He was more anxious to get back to the city and give the villagers the trinket then go home more than anything.

Honestly Sasha didn't blame him. This was a pretty lame mission, and the fact that both she and Ahsoka were ordered by the council not to go with their masters to Umbara. They were pretty bummed not to go, but at the same time the risk level was so high that padawans were not regulated to go. So instead they sent Ahsoka on a mission with Plo Koon and Sasha was assigned to go with these two weirdoes. She loves them, but they are weird.

Soon they reached the end of the forest. The city was visible at the foot of the large hill that the forest was on top of. Jac sighed in relief.

"Finally," he said. "We made it back. Let's get this over with and go get some grub, because I'm hungry now."

"You're always hungry," Cayden commented.

Everyone chuckled. Suddenly Sasha stopped. She froze in place as a chill went down her spine. Cayden noticed her sudden and strange mood change.

"What's wrong?" he asked concerned about his girlfriend.

"Something is watching us," she stated as she paled slightly.

Jac looked around the perimeter. "I don't see anything, but trees." He looked back at Sasha. "Are you sure someone is out there?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," Sasha said.

She then turned to looked at the trees behind her. She spotted a shadow object of some sort fly by one of the trees. Her eyes went wide.

"Hey I'll meet you guys in a minute. I want to check this out."

"Alone?" Cayden asked.

She looked at him nodded. Based off the look on her face, there was no swaying her. He nodded.

"Alright, but five minutes,' Cayden said. 'And if you don't come to the foot of the hill in that time, we are coming back for you."

"Aye sir," Sasha said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

He narrowed his eyes at her with a smirk. With that the master and padawan duo, headed down the hill to the edge of the city. Sasha watched them go then suddenly felt that shiver again. She turned back to the forest and with a deep breath, entered. She walked through the trees and looked at all the shadows using the force to help point out which one was watching her.

The five minutes were almost up and this had become a pointless search. With a sigh, Sasha decided to head out and meet up with the rest of her team. However, as she was walking a shadow crossed her path. Sasha whipped her head around and followed the shadow. However, it was no ordinary shadow. It looked like figure.

Its body was thin and seemed to have a slithering motion about it. It also seemed like it was made of mist, but could also seem solid to the touch. It reached a snake like arm out. What looked a hand appeared and reached for Sasha. Out of instinct, she reached for her saber. As the hand grew closer and closer to her, she realized that it was reaching for her chest. After that everything went black.

"What's taking her so long?" Cayden moaned.

"You gave her a five minute dead line padawan," Jac said as he leaned against a wall. "And she's only a couple minutes over. You know how girls are. They say five minutes, but they really mean twenty."

Cayden looked at his master. "Not Sasha. If she is late, it's no more than a couple minutes."

"So there. You see," Jac said. "Then she should be on her way any second now."

Cayden glanced up to the top of the hill. It wasn't that he was impatient. It was just that he had a really bad feeling about all of this. He waited one more minute before he took off in a run back up the hill.

"Cayden!" Jac called as his padawan sprinted up the hill.

He reached the top in no time and looked around. He called out Sasha's name. No answer. Worried, he started back into the woods.

"Cayden!" Jac called again as he had followed his padawan.

He didn't turn or budge to his master's call. He just kept moving forward. As he passed a set of broken branches that were not there before, he found Sasha resting against a tree. She looked more like she was sleeping. Cayden knelt down beside her and started to walk her up. She yawned as she woke up.

"This is no time to be taking naps," Jac commented as he found them right as she woke up.

'Naps?" Sasha asked. 'What are you talking about? I was following that thing and then…"

"And then… what?" Cayden asked concerned.

"I think it touched me and then everything was black."

Both male Jedi looked unnerved by that. They exchanged a glance with each other.

'Alright, well… we will talk about this later," Jac said. "We still have a bit of a dead line to meet."

"Right," Sasha said as Cayden helped her up. "We better not keep the governor waiting."

Cayden nodded even though he seemed concerned still by this. Sasha didn't blame him. She was just as confused as he was.

_**Alright guys, so what did ya think? Please review!**_


	2. Where did that come from?

_**Hey guys! It has been a while! I am so sorry for not posting sooner, but the end of the year things just kind of overwhelmed me…. However it is now New Year's Eve and I feel the best way to end 2014 is with a new chapter! YEAH! Alright well I hope you guys enjoy it and Have a Happy New Year! Oh and don't forget to review!**_

_**Last time: Sasha was attack by some strange shadow thing.**_

_**Now: The group heads home, but Sasha notices something that she didn't before they left.**_

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><p>Chapter 2- Where did that come from?<p>

Jac leaned back with a satisfied sigh as he watched the swirls of hyperspace fill the viewport window. Cayden leaned back as well and looked over his shoulder at his girlfriend sitting in one of the passenger seats behind him. Sasha was zoning out in her seat.

"Coruscant to Sasha, are you there?" Cayden asked with a smirk as he waved his hand in front of her face.

Sasha looked up to him. "What? Oh yeah I'm here."

'Are you sure?" he asked as he turned his chair around. "You look out of it."

"Yeah, I'm just a little tired is all," she stated.

"Well go get some rest," Jac said. "We won't be home for another three hours."

Sasha nodded and stood up heading for the back.

"Alright I'll go for a nap, but if I wake up with something drawn on my face, that person gonna want to sleep with their eyes open," Sasha said with a smile.

Both men looked at each other freaked out by that and nodded.

"We promise!" they said at the same time.

Sasha laughed as she headed back to the passenger compartment. Once back there, she curled up on the couch and slipped into slumber.

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><p><em>Three hours later…<em>

Sasha woke up with a yawn. She looked over to the chrono on the wall to see that she had been napping for three hours. She had slept the whole trip. _I didn't realize I was that tired_, she thought as she stretched.

Suddenly she felt an itch on her right hand. She removed her fingerless glove and scratched her hand. It then started to burn as she continued. She stopped and looked down at her right palm. Her eyes went wide as she spotted what was making her hand itch. There was a black ring in her palm. It looked almost like she had been branded, but it didn't feel like it was. Instead it just felt like a bump in the shape of a circle that was black.

Wait a second… She realized that Jac and Cayden could have done this to her while she was sleeping even after she told them not to. Grabbing her glove, she stormed to the cockpit.

"Alright who is the moron that did this to my hand," Sasha asked the two men as she held up her right hand.

Jac and Cayden turned to look at her. They looked at her hand then at each other, then at her again.

"I didn't do it," they said it at the same time.

'Sure…" She said unamused.

Cayden stood and made his way over to her. He grabbed her hand and turned it over. Gently, he brushed his fingers over the strange mark. He then looked up at her with concerning eyes.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

"A little," she said.

"Well we didn't do this to you," Cayden said reassuring her. "Trust me. He passed out in the driver's seat and I was doing homework." He pointed to a stack of data pads on the seat behind the copilots.

'Then who did this…" she started to ask then realized who did it. "The figure…"

"The what?" Jac asked.

"That strange shadow figure that attacked me," she said. "It must have done this."

Cayden frowned as he continued to caress her hand. They both realized how long he had been holding it and he released her hand with a slight blush on his cheeks.

"Well we can wait to see what the healers think about it," Jac said. "We just arrived home."

He pulled the ship out of hyperspace over Coruscant. Sasha nodded as she took a seat and replaced the glove on to her hand. Cayden patted her shoulder as he made his way to his seat. Whatever happened to her hand, they were going to find out.

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><p><em><strong>REVIEW! PLEASE AND I'LL GIVE YOU A GIFT FOR THE NEW YEAR!<strong>_


	3. The Curse

_**HAPPY NEW YEAR! (Almost a week later...) Hey guys! Hope your new year is going well! So I promised you guys a gift for the New Year and here it is! A new chapter! *cheering* **_

_**Any who, with there only being a week until I start classes again, I will be making it my mission to update you guys as often as possible since it looks like this semester will be an easy one. Just know that I do love you guys and I love hearing what you all have to say, so don't forget to review! **_

_**Last time: Sasha found a weird mark on her palm.**_

_**Now: They learn about what the mark is.**_

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><p>Chapter 3- The Curse<p>

The door to the examination room in the Halls of Healing opened to reveal Jedi Master Healer Vokara Che. Jac, who was leaning against the wall, straightened when she entered. Cayden, who standing next to Sasha who was sitting on the edge of the bed, looked over. Vokara looked up from her data pad and frowned.

"Padawan Monroe, what brings you to the ward this time?" she asked with a slight twinge of irritation in her voice.

"Well I have this strange mark on my hand," Sasha said gesturing to the ring on her palm. "And I was hoping you could help me find out what it was."

"Alright let me see," Vokara said.

Sasha held out her palm and showed her the mark. Vokara narrowed her eyes at the mark. She gently brushed her finger over the mark then looked up at Sasha.

"Does it hurt?"

Sasha shook her head. "No, but it does sting a little."

"Well I'm not an expert with these sort of things,' Che said. "So let me go retrieve Bant and have her take a look at it."

The three Jedi nodded as the Master Healer left the room. A few minutes later, Bant came through the door. She smiled when she saw them.

"Hello Sasha, Jacen, Cayden," Bant said warmly. "I heard from Master Che that you have a strange mark you want me to look at. Am I correct?"

'Yes Master Bant. I received this mark after facing a strange shadow figure," Sasha said.

"I assumed it was some kind of injury or claw marking from the thing," Cayden said.

"I assumed it was bite mark of some sort," Jac said.

Bant examined the mark and shook her head.

"Both of you are wrong," she said. "It's almost like it was branded into her skin."

"Branded?" Sasha commented. "From what I remember, all I saw was a hand appearing from its misty figure. Not a device that could brand me."

Bant thought for a moment then said, "Let me run some tests real quick and figure out what this mark really is."

Sasha nodded and Bant started the tests.

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><p>Two hours later…<p>

The three of them waited patiently for Bant to return. After the tests were done, Bant had disappeared into her office to work on the results. While they waited, Jac had gone to go get them a snack to eat while Sasha and Cayden worked on homework.

Now, two hours later, Bant returned with a data pad and a worried expression on her face. Seeing the look made them worried too. Jac being the brave one, spoke up first.

"So what are the results?" he asked.

"Based off the tests, we can see that this mark is not an injury or a bite, but it's also no ordinary brand," Bant said.

"Then what is it?" Cayden asked.

"Well I did a little research and I found something you're not gonna like," Bant said.

The room went silent for a moment. Sasha took a deep breath.

"Bant please tell me, what the hell is this thing on my hand?" she asked her voice sounding really calm.

"It's a curse,' she said.

They all looked puzzled.

"A curse?" Jac questioned. "Like the thing witches cast on you when you have pissed them off?"

"You could say that,' Bant said. "But this curse, the Shadows Curse, according to the archives, has been around for hundreds of years. And the curse is inflicted upon its victim by the shadow itself."

"Well then if it's a curse then what are the symptoms?" Sasha asked.

"The mark on your hand is just the beginning. Through time the poison in the mark will journey through your blood stream and slowly make its way to you heart and mind. While it does that, you will be shown your life. But once it makes it to your heart and mind, you will enter a two day comatose state. At the end of those two days…" she hesitated on the last part. "You'll die."

Sasha gasped and went wide eyed. Cayden looked at her worried.

'There's more," she said sadly. "The process, based off past records, state that the curse takes three weeks to kill a person. Meaning you only have three weeks to live Sasha."

Sasha couldn't believe her ears. Cayden placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Well there's got to be a cure or a way to break the curse, right?" Jac said sounding nervous.

"Sadly, no known cure has been found," she said with a heavy heart.

"But you're not just gonna let her die, are you?!" Jac stated upset.

"Of course not! I will find this cure, Sasha, if it's the last thing I do," Bant said.

Sasha gave a small smile. "Thank you Bant. I know I can count on you."

Bant nodded. Jac looked to Sasha.

"What are we gonna tell Obi-wan?" he asked plainly.

"The truth," Bant said. "Sasha make sure you tell him when he returns. I know it will hurt him to hear this, but I don't want to leave him in the dark."

"Me neither," Sasha said her voice soft.

After that, the silence in the room was so thick it could be cut with a knife. Cayden's hand on her shoulder gave a comforting squeeze. This day was just getting better and better…

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><p><em><strong>Please review! For Sasha's sake!<strong>_


	4. Sad News

_**Alright guys so I am doing a test here. I noticed last night that this story doesn't have many reviews and I'm wondering if it's because it's just not good or if the summary wasn't that eye catching. Whatever the case maybe. And if I need to post more often then I will make sacrifices and make sure that updating becomes part of my weekly routine as I have learned that I have time this semester to actually update. But please guys, review my story! It makes me so happy to hear from you all even if the review is two words saying "Good Job." I'll take it! **_

_**So I've changed the summary a little bit and have updated today to see if I can reel in more reviews. Fingers crossed!**_

_**Last time: Sasha learned that the mark is actually a curse.**_

_**Now: Obi-wan returns from Umbara with sad news and is about to receive more.**_

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><p>Chapter 4- Sad News<p>

It had been two days since Sasha learned she had this dreadful curse. So far the poison in the mark on her hand had spread through the palm, the back and two of her fingers. Oddly enough, even though her veins were turning a dull gray-black color, it was hard to see unless someone was holding her hand or her fingerless glove was off. Other than the poison spreading, she had yet to experience the dreams and/or visions of her life that Bant spoke of. _Maybe it doesn't start until the poison has spread far enough_, she thought.

But she wasn't just going to sit around and wait for that to happen. During these two days, Sasha had slept in, done her homework, went to classes, trained, hung out with her friends, and meditated. It was almost like she wasn't dying of a curse, but yet she was. Thankfully Cayden and Jac were doing a good job of keeping her mind off of it. Honestly, the only time she thought about the damn thing was in the morning when was getting ready and in the evening when she was going to bed. Today, though, her master was returning from Umbara.

Sasha made her way to the hanger bay. When she got there, she spotted the large group of council members waiting. This was odd as usually when they returned from missions the only council members that are waiting are Master Yoda and Windu. Occasionally Anakin and Ahsoka or Jac and Cayden would be there too, but this… this was uncommon. Something big and mostly likely bad happened if a good portion of the council was there. And based off what little information she had been given, Sasha didn't have enough detail to even write a story. So this was going to be interesting.

Sasha spotted Anakin through the crowd standing and talking with Master Adi Gallia. He must have felt her gaze on him, because he turned to look at her as she approached the group. She smiled at him, but he barely returned it with a small smile. Something was definitely wrong. She wouldn't be surprised though. He did come back a day or two early.

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><p><em>Flashback:<em>

_Sasha was walking through the temple when she suddenly ran into a board chested person. She looked up and noticed it was Anakin. She jumped back and smiled._

"_Master Anakin, what are you doing here? Is Master Obi-wan with you? I thought you guys were supposed to come back in a couple days," she mused._

"_Well I was ordered to return to Coruscant by orders of the Chancellor. However, he didn't even explain to me why I had to return so kriffing early," he said sounding irritated. _

"_Sorry to hear about it," Sasha said sadly. "But if you are here then is Obi-wan on his own?"_

"_No, they sent Pong Krell to aid him," he had said. "I've just got a real bad feeling about this."_

End Flashback

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><p>Sasha approached the two older Jedi.<p>

"Hey Master Anakin. Hello Master Gallia."

"Hello Sasha," Adi said. "How are you today?"

"I'm good," Sasha said.

"That's good. How's the…" Anakin's voice dropped to a whisper. "The curse?"

"Spreading… slowly, but no pain and no visions yet," she said.

Anakin nodded. After learning about the curse, Master Che informed Master Yoda and the present (at the time) members of the council about it. But they merely kept it in the back of their minds and have all given their prayers to Sasha. It's not their main concern at the time, but it's nice to have them informed just in case. And when Anakin came back, Sasha told him too. He, however, was more shocked by the news and became more worried about her. They did have a brother/sister type friendship after all, so it was understandable. But so far just the group of council members, Anakin, the healers, and the master/padawan duo known as Jac and Cayden were the only ones who knew she was cursed.

"Well that's good to hear… I guess," he said.

Sasha chuckled. She then asked. "So why is everyone out here? Did something happen?"

"Yes," was all either master would tell her.

Oddly enough though she wasn't too worried about it as she could still feel her Master's presence in their bond just fine, but whatever did happen that they are not telling her is what made her nervous.

About a few minutes later, a ship landed on the platform and the council members went silent. That made Sasha nervous. Never had she seen a group of people go quite so fast. The ship landed on the platform and the ramp lowered. First came a small group of troopers led by Rex and Fives. The group was surrounding what looked like a casket. _Who died?_ She thought.

Next came her Master followed by Commander Cody. No one else came down the ramp from the ship. _Where was Krell? Is he the one who died?_ Now she understood the sober feeling the air, but something else was mixed with it. Disappointment?

She shook the thoughts away and made her way through the crowd as it started to enter the temple. The clones, aside from Rex, Cody, and Fives, led the body to the healers ward. The Council led the three clones and Obi-wan to the council chambers. She reached Obi-wan was lagging behind the rest of the group.

"Welcome back, Master," She said as she reached his side.

He smiled softly and placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently. He didn't speak a word to her, but did remove his hand as he walked with the council. She walked in step alongside him as she followed the crowd to the council chambers. But once there, she remained outside the doors.

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><p>"Disappointing it is to hear of Krell's fate and decision," Yoda said with a frown. "Should have seen this, we have."<p>

"The man had a record of large casualties with his clones and I thought it was enough to take the privilege of troops away. But we should have looked at the big picture instead," Mace Windu said with his arms crossed.

The rest of the council nodded. They all took blame for not seeing it.

"And because of what has occurred Kenobi and Skywalker have both lost honorable troops who did not deserve to die in such a way," Ki Adi Mundi said.

Obi-wan lowered his gaze to the floor, his facial expressions unchanged. Anakin on the other hand looked ready to kill Krell… again.

"They may be trained to die in battle, but no one, not even a clone, should die the way they did," Adi said as she looked just as pissed.

"Well he is dead now," Mace said. "And I know our rules say that we should bury him like we would any other Jedi, but he turned to the dark side and didn't see the light before he died. He was a traitor and a horrible man."

"Understand your anger, Mace I do," Yoda said. "But a Jedi he was."

"We could give him a funeral but that will only be seen by the eyes of the council. No one else in attendance. And it doesn't even have to be a funeral we would normally give our fellow Jedi when they die," Plo Koon, who was there via hologram, suggested.

The council members all looked at each other and came to an agreement on that. The clones who were standing silently in the center of the room didn't seem too thrilled with the idea, but they understood why the council would do it. Once the decision had been made, the council was dismissed.

Sasha watched as the doors slid open and the council members and clones filed out. Obi-wan was one of the last ones out. He came up to Sasha. She stood up when he approached. The two of them then watched as Anakin stalked past both of them.

"He seems mad," Sasha commented once Anakin disappeared into the elevator.

"Well I was too when I found out about what Krell did," Obi-wan said.

"What did he do if you don't mind my asking?" Sasha asked carefully.

"I'll tell you while we head home," Obi-wan said as they made their way to the lift.

The entire way back to apartment Obi-wan told her the tale. Even once they got back to when they decided to have something to eat and the story was still going. Once he was done, Sasha shared the same anger as Anakin, but she was also sad too.

"How did Boil take the news of Waxer?" she asked with a clenched fist.

"Not well," Obi-wan said as he stirred his tea. "He had to be held back as he was about ready to hurt someone. But after Cody and I calmed him, he started to cry. Now though he is better, but he has been given some time off."

"Poor Boil," Sasha said softly with a frown.

Obi-wan nodded and took a sip of his tea.

"Enough about that mission. How was yours?" he asked.

"It was good," she said. "It was really easy."

"Well that's good to hear."

There was a silence between them. Sasha glanced down to her right hand. It started to twitch. She grabbed it and placed it under the table. She learned that her hand twitches when the poisons spreads. When her hand stopped twitching, she looked down at her hand and paled. Another two fingers had the poison in them now.

"Is everything alright?" Obi-wan asked noticing her strange behavior.

Sasha looked up and smiled. "Of course." She placed her chin in her right hand as she balanced it on the table by the elbow.

Obi-wan raised an eyebrow then suddenly noticed how strangely colored her fingers expect her thumb were.

"What happened to your hand?" he asked reaching out for it.

Sasha looked at her right hand and sighed. She handed it to him. He removed the fingerless glove. He paled as he looked at her hand. He gently ran his fingers over it. Sasha winced as it stung a little more at the moment.

"Who did this to you? Has Bant seen it?" he asked.

After a gulp, Sasha explained to him everything. "And now I'm cursed. And I have only a little less than three weeks until… until…" She found it hard to swallow before she said the last words. "I die."

Obi-wan dropped her hand accidentally and knocked over his tea onto the floor.

"What?" he asked with a barely audible voice.

Sasha grabbed her glove and pulled her hand back. She looked ashamed. Obi-wan couldn't find the words to say how he felt, he just sat there, frozen. She sat there rubbing her hand waiting for him to say something.

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><p><em><strong>REVIEW! PLEASE GUYS! I'M BEGGING YOU! Love ya guys!<strong>_


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